I made the day completely awesome by using my brand-new, made-by-myself, upcycled cassette wallet. I will have a tutorial on how I did this at a later date with pictures and all (I promised my bestie one). For now, here is an image of mine:

It’s from a clear tape (that I painted over with a glittery gray nail polish I have) purchased for fifty cents, a zipper, upcycled fabric, and hot glue. I spent under two dollars on it, and the zipper was the most expensive part. I did, however, buy the longest zipper WalMart had to offer, because I didn’t want to get one too short. I learned for next time 🙂

I also found this awesome website called Treecycler. Join the website, like their FaceBook page, and get a code. With that code, you can’t “plant a tree” in ANY of their reforestation projects all over the globe. You will also be able to get codes from mail, products, and other places. I’m assuming this is newer, but I am not quite sure. Anyways, for each code, a tree will be planted “in your honor” and when it is planted, you will be able to view a copy of the certificate. I do believe that you will also be able to see updates on your tree!

What happened? The officer went to the wrong address for a domestic abuse call. From the start, the officer was in the wrong; he didn’t double check where he was suppose to go to. When he got to the (wrong) address, the man, Michael Paxton, had been in his own backyard, playing frisbee with his dog, Cisco. He had came around front to receive something from his truck, when the officer held him at gunpoint. Cisco then came around to see what the commotion was, and like any good dog, he started barking at the officer that was there – the dog didn’t know him, and the officer was distressing his owner. The officer said “Get your dog” and before Mr. Paxton had any time to react, APD Officer Griffin shot Cisco in the chest, and immediately killed him.

This dog was NOT attacking the officer, he was merely doing what any good dog would – defending his owner. The owner was NOT given any amount of time to restrain his dog. And the officer is NOT under investigation. This is ridiculous. There was no need for this excessive force. The officer could have shot Cisco to injure him and prevent him from attacking, not that he had to shoot at all. There was no need to shoot to kill. And if he did not give the dog a chance, what would this officer do to a human? He needs to be investigated. Or in my opinion, lose his job. As Mr. Paxton said, “A dog’s going to bark to protect his owner, but that doesn’t mean you require deadly force.” There is a difference between barking and attacking. There is a difference between barking and a threatening stance. This officer needs to be held accountable.

If you, like me, are outraged by this, there is a Facebook page, a petition to sign, live interviews with Mr. Paxton, and the officer’s dash cam which, incidentally, everything happens off camera, to take part in to make sure there is justice for Cisco. You can also call the Austin Police Department at (512) 974-2000 or (512) 974-5000. And by clicking here, you can email ALL of the council members of Austin, Texas.

“I don’t have kids or much family. This dog was my child. He was intelligent, he was loyal, and he was well-behaved. He didn’t deserve what he got.” – Michael Paxton